


love? what’s that?

by yourwifesboyfriend



Category: Rune Factory (Video Games), Rune Factory 4
Genre: Budding Love, Fluff, M/M, Mild Language, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, im pretty bad at tags lol, not slow burn but it do be takin them some time doe, they’re still dumb
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:08:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23692120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yourwifesboyfriend/pseuds/yourwifesboyfriend
Summary: love/ləv/|noun1. we only wish we knew
Relationships: Doug/Dylas (Rune Factory)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 16





	1. .i’m in love with u, sorry.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> catching feelings sucks. especially when you’re an idiot, falling for another idiot, and struggling to figure it all out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Doug hadn't agreed to a secret date on their village's suspended airship so he could end up getting forced into a pointless circle of questions with his heart.
> 
> Now his head was muddled with various versions of "oh my god, what the _fuck_."

Doug was dizzy. He couldn't breathe. His head was whirring and his heart had wormed its way into his throat. As soon as Dylas was off the airship he stumbled backwards and bumped into some boxed cargo that he was now leaning on as he tried to get himself under control. His hand was clutching his chest, feeling every beat of his rapidly pounding heart while he desperately attempted to wrap his mind around _what the hell that was_.

The sensation of Dylas's breath continued to tickle his neck. The way his already soothingly deep voice had dropped to a rumble that made his heart rattle around in his rib cage was ringing in his pointed ears. There were still those lingering cravings within him that had been urging him to hold on tightly to Dylas and whisper _"more."_ All of it was there, creating a dull buzz that started in his scalp and spread out through every finger tip, every crevice, every single inch of his skin, but what did it mean? 

He was confused to say the least. Baffled by the fact that he wanted Dylas to come back and finish whatever it was he started so badly that his hands shook. In awe of the way his stomach was bubbling with a storm that was much worse than even his giddiest case of the butterflies. He was confused and _scared._

Because yeah, he liked the guy. Much more than he was willing to admit in front of the other folks in town—though they all already knew they were closer than the ever-arguing duo would ever say out loud— but not how much that "more" was. He liked the way his stupidly gentle lips were always pulled into a frown that he couldn't help. He liked the way his annoyingly silky hair spilled over his shoulders and down his back like a waterfall whose shimmer tempted one to touch it. He liked the way he had been suddenly overwhelmed by the smell of cinnamon and nutmeg, which he must have been working with in the kitchen before he came to meet with him, and how his scent was always different every time they embraced. He liked the way his calloused hands had found the chinks in his armor, sneaking up his shirt and petting the back of his neck in a way that made his body shake with the really fucking good kind of shivers. And, Gods, he liked the way that he had kissed him with so much passion that he could practically feel himself melting in his boots through every second that escaped them until they both, unfortunately, remembered they needed to breath.

Even for Doug, denying that he had a thing for him was idiotic. Because that's all he thought it was: a small, helpless thing that he wanted to indulge in but didn't think would get very far. A crush that would end as soon as they stopped gazing longingly at each other. Stopped holding hands underneath the tables at the restaurant. Stopped kissing each other like their lives depended on it every chance they got. But now he was finally starting to sense that maybe, just maybe, what he felt was something much more than that. And that terrified him to no end.

Doug hadn't agreed to a secret date on their village's suspended airship so he could end up getting forced into a pointless circle of questions with his heart. It was Christmas, it was cold outside, and all he had wanted was an excuse to be alone with the guy he was supposed to hate and cuddle for a while as they made childish wishes on shooting stars. Now his head covered in thick locks of blazing red hair was muddled with various versions of "oh my god, what the _fuck_."

Things had started out innocently enough. Neither of them were even remotely considered romantics so, as always, everything had been a little tense and awkward for a good minute. There was banter, the lightest of flirting, and incredibly subtle gestures of affection as they restarted the never ending process of learning to be comfortable when they were alone together. Doug had no idea what happened. All of it had been pretty much the same as usual from how they were acting to the way he was thinking. 

_What an idiot._

__

__

_He's such a dork._

_Maybe I should get a little closer..._

Then maybe he had looked at him in a certain way when Dylas pressed those small, hesitant kisses against his knuckles. Maybe he noticed the blush on Doug’s face when the dwarf pressed up against his side and made himself at home under his arm. Maybe Dylas had been feeling particularly needy. Or maybe Doug’s new train of thoughts had worked its way past his lips while his head was cloudy with the joy of being near the transformed male.

_I wanna kiss him._

__

__

_He's so warm._

_Please, just do a little more._

Whatever it was, it lead to them sharing a kiss that left his brain feeling fried. A kiss so fucking _addicting_ that it made his mouth tingle with disappointment when it ended. He wasn't sure if he was ever going to have a normal heartbeat again afterwards, and all of those forced a dazed expression on to his face that didn't leave him until he laid down in bed that night to try and sleep. Of course, it was impossible for him to conk out right away. On top of all the other strange things his body was feeling, there was an irritating question that kept poking at the back of his mind and begging for attention. It pestered him until he fell asleep and was the first thing to make itself known when he woke up the next morning and wiped his grogginess from his eyes. He hoped that maybe it was just a weird rush that he got from being handled like... _that_ , and that everything would resolve itself quickly.

But it didn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://youtu.be/Y0QvbstgevA  
> here’s the song the chapter was named after/indirectly inspired by:)  
> please bear with me as i try to figure out this fucking formatting


	2. .love bug.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> doug is a reckless bastard, but when something so intense bites him on the ass he shies away from it completely. 
> 
> when he gets that scared he tends to lose himself to the foreign feelings infesting his garden.
> 
> thankfully, family will always be there to guide you back to the path of stupidity that you occasionally manage to stray away from.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Granny... what.. is love?"
> 
> "Love, you say?" Blossom mused after stopping her own actions to give the question her attention. "Hmm..."

Corralling your feelings into a sensible enough pile that you're able to look at it and _not_ feel like your head was going to explode with its attempts to make sense of it turned out to be pretty hard. Who woulda thunk? Certainly not Doug, because otherwise he wouldn't have bothered spending the next two days suffering while he did his best to function like a normal dwarf when all of his systems were in utter disarray. Just when he thought he was getting the hang of this whole "having feelings for someone" thing, Dylas would smile at a customer in the restaurant. Dylas would laugh at something Lest said. Dylas would gloat about a fish he caught or brush his hair out of his face or go beet red when Leon teased him— in other words, by simply existing Dylas was forcing Doug into this perpetual state of _"When did I get so damn gay??"_

Maybe that should be a sign that the guy's got it bad. Accepting that probably would have helped Doug realize what was going on inside of him sooner. Instead, with his usual genius-ness, he came to a very different conclusion: he couldn't be around Dylas anymore. 

Doug tried to get himself and his stupid feelings under control. He really did. But anytime he got anywhere near the horse hybrid throughout those next couple days he found his heart pounding in his chest so wildly and loudly that it gave him a headache. Soon at the mere mention of his name his cheeks would light up from the embarrassment that came with the kinds of thoughts that unleashed themselves into his mind. But that wasn't what made this so excruciating. What _really sucked_ about all this was the fact that that dumbass horse appeared to be perfectly fine. Or at least, as "fine" as they allowed themselves to seem in front of everybody. Not only was it super annoying to find himself tongue tied anytime they spoke to each other while Dylas merely looked at him like he was an idiot, but it also made him feel even more like he was just being foolish. 

What if he was the only one going through this internal dilemma? The only one questioning whether or not he was in fricking _love_ of all things? 

He's never been a very affectionate person before, let alone someone that ever stopped to think about these sorts of subjects. Because of this, knowing that there was the plausible possibility that he was completely alone in this situation... was completely and utterly terrifying. More so than anything else about this whole confusing ordeal. His poor mind was an absolute mess, and just thinking about facing Dylas anymore right now was enough to make his knees go weak with both nerves and the demonic fuzzies picking away at his insides.

As much as he wished he could just erase Dylas from his mind and resume life as if he's never even heard of the guy, he knew it would be impossible when he literally lived not even 5 minutes away. He couldn't keep going like this. And so the evening before yet another festival while he was helping his grandmother take stock of the shelves, he found himself highly inclined to voice that bothersome inquiry that's been driving him mad just to get it out of his system before it got any worse. At this rate he would end up doing what he does best: completely ruin everything.

"Granny... what.. is love?"

Until then Doug had been so wrapped up in his thoughts that his stunning silver eyes had kept themselves trained on his own ungraceful hands fumbling around with the store's products the way they only did when he was nervous, but now he glanced over at his frail Granny Blossom to take in the thoughtful look that had overtaken her well-worn features.

"Love, you say?" Blossom mused after stopping her own actions to give the question her attention. "Hmm..." The elder let out a thoughtful hum before going quiet for a while. Naturally, she knew the answer. She was the oldest resident in the village— not counting the Guardians, who may have plenty of numbers tagged on to their ages but still had minds as young as Doug's age group— and has had her fair share of experiences with the topic. But learning about love and its complicated ways was a troubling yet rewarding process that everyone should go through. Where was the fun in giving away the solution? 

So, after mulling over that little inquiry long enough to make Doug start thinking she had forgotten he asked it in the first place, Blossom spoke. "Love is a very powerful force indeed, my dear. At first it's very overwhelming to the point where it's terrifying. You won't want anything to do with it because it confuses you. It fills your head with odd thoughts and gives you emotions you don't understand." Here she glanced over at the dwarf to make sure he was still listening, resulting in her having to fight back a smile when she saw how intently he watched her. "You'll be afraid of how much the other person seems to be in control of your heart, since just the sight of them is usually enough to drive it wild. But then eventually you'll remember that while love is strong, it's just a feeling. And like all feelings it is not in control of you. You are in control of it." The end of her spiel was marked by a soft cough that acted as its final period and told her already weak voice that it could take a rest. 

Doug, having not expected such a lengthy and complicated answer, blinked a few times as if moistening his eyes that had begun to glaze over with confusion. "So.. it gets easier to deal with?"

"Oh no, not at all." Blossom chuckled, completely eliminating the small sense of hope that her grandson had gained for his situation. "Love will always be an enigma that we can only pretend to understand. It's chaos through and through... but if you give it time you will learn how to handle it."

"Love is... chaos?" Doug ventured, afraid of being told something worse again.

This time Blossom took another moment to think about how to word her next response. Now when she spoke her voice was freed of the hoarse edge that tickled her throat and made Doug feel incredibly guilty for being so clueless. His granny had it hard enough without her dumb grandson pressing her for so much information. "If we're breaking it down into a simple maxim, yes." She nodded. "Love is chaos. Frightening but bearable if you give it a chance." 

As Doug allowed the explanation to sink in he stood in silence, his brows furrowing as his brain churned with its efforts to connect Blossom's words to his own emotions. Because it sounded right... but rather than making it easier to solve his puzzle it was like Blossom had seen him struggling, shuffled the pieces around, and said "now try to solve it." While he stared at the products still in his hands— an apple and a bag of turnip seeds— he found himself to be too lost in his contemplative thoughts to notice that Blossom was now taking her turn to observe him closely. Obviously she knew something was going on. Knowing the type of person the young man is, she was well aware that he wouldn't bring up these sorts of things without a reason. That, connected with the skittish way he’s been acting since Christmas, pretty much confirmed the suspicions she’s been developing. 

An old, trained gaze made sure to keep its eye on him as she returned to the task she had been in the middle of before Doug stopped her. Eventually he seemed to kick the motor in his brain and rev it back up for action, but frustration and confusion still dictated his movements. At first she had intended to just wait and see if he would try to start the conversation back up again, but soon her nosiness got the better of her. "So?" Blossom broke the silence with her sly question. "Who is it?"

Within seconds Doug's face became impossible to tell apart from his hair. His eyes went wide as he whipped around to stare at the coy little old lady smiling at him from behind the shop’s counter, shock and embarrassment written all over his flushed face. "What—!? I don't—! Th-There isn't any—!!!" Several sentences tried to jump out at the same time but none of them succeeded in becoming coherent. Unable to help herself, Blossom chuckled at her grandson's fluster which merely wound him up even more. "Grannyyy." Doug eventually whined because he knew there was no way he could explain himself to her. No way he could tell her about the things he did with that horse-faced bastard down the road and the way they made him feel. He couldn't even tell that to himself yet.

"Alright, alright. I'm just messing with you, dear." The reassuring tone did very little to ease Doug's mind, but all he could do was pout about it. Seeing as how this issue was very clearly something that was actually upsetting him, his grandmother's playful attitude transitioned into something softer. The smile that finally made its way on to her face as she shuffled over to him was no longer teasing. It was kind. Encouraging. A small boost in HP while his bar was critically low. "Doug," she lifted up a knobby hand to place on one of his heated cheeks to regain his attention, "you know that I care about you more than this old woman has the strength to describe. When all else fails, don't forget that it's always alright to rely on your granny. Just for a moment."

Doug deeply appreciated the sentiment, but he knew this wasn't something he could count on her for. It wasn't an empty plate after dinner or a pile of clothes he didn't have the time to tend to. This was a case of his own feelings getting the better of him and making him devolve into a mess of a dwarf. As much as he would love to hand it all to her and let her take care of it, that simply wasn't an option. However, this conversation with her had helped him realize one thing if nothing else. No matter what happened, Doug would still be Doug. Loud, reckless, obnoxious, and a shitty employee— that’s the way he was and nothing could take that from him. Not his own insecurities or helplessness. Not even his developing love(?) for another man (which he swore would never happen because he was the straightest person on the planet). So why let this tear him up so much? Dylas could be in love him too _or_ he could just see him as some loser he can use to pass the time. Whatever the case may be he could always come home to Blossom and be told that everything was okay.

Like hell he would say all of that out loud. Instead he conjured up a crooked smile to flash down at Blossom to replace his pondering expression. She was still watching him. Waiting for her grandson to bounce back from his inconvenience the way he always did. And so, for right now, that's just what he had to do.

"I know Granny.” Doug nodded and placed one of his own hands over hers. “I won't."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> song for chapter title: https://youtu.be/_zXlqnBxqcE
> 
> if y’all are interested in updates for dis or maybe wanna hear about some other shit im planning on writing im gonna try to get posting on insta @3yourwifesboyfriend3!!


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